THE OCs ARE MINE!
Maya Garcia, Signing Off!
The following morning, the aroma of warm pancakes and syrup was enough to wake Maya up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as her mother and her brother Pablo walked into her room with grins.
"Buenas dias, hija!" Ms. Garcia greeted her with a smile, before laying a noisy kiss on her cheek and handing her a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with blueberry syrup.
Maya chuckled before asking. "What is this all about?"
"Haven't you heard?" Pablo asked hysterically with an excited look on his face. "Your story blew up! The video you posted went viral overnight. Brett even called Mom and is even considering offering you a job after high school, maybe even covering your tuition when you head to college!" Pablo then pulled out his phone and showed his sister the proof.
Maya couldn't believe her eyes. There were comments underneath the video she posted praising her for her work, with people calling her 'brave' and 'inspiring'. Her social media account even scored several thousand followers in 12 hours.
"Oh Niña, I am so proud of you!" Her mother cheered, embracing Maya tightly.
"We gotta throw a party! Invite the whole neighborhood!" Pablo announced.
"You know what? That does not sound like a bad idea! This calls for a celebration!" Her mother said happily. Maya could feel her phone buzzing beneath her as she and Pablo left the room. She pulled it out and saw that she had seen dozens of messages from her friends. Donnie, Bonnie, and DJ's messages were just mere reprimands and warnings to never do what she had done last night ever again as if they weren't affected much by what had happened last night, but a particular message from Max made her heart almost skip a beat.
(Max) You're dead!
Her phone pinged again. This time she received a text from Ellie. It read: My dad wants to talk to you...now.
She gulped. She knew this wasn't going to end well.
She did the best she could to get ready for her meeting. After tying up her hair in her traditional pigtails and scoring yellow and white sneakers. She exited her home and hopped into her car, mentally preparing herself for the eventual reprimands she would receive from Sensei Uni as she pulled out of her driveway and drove off.
Po groaned as he collapsed on his throne. The throbbing headaches had finally diminished for the time being, but it was clear this was only the start of the symptoms that would continue to come.
"Brother, you have to give your humanity up." Sky pleaded.
What none of the Rangers knew was that Po was still part-human, and he was trying to maintain the humanity he had left to keep the memories of his youth, which was the only thing keeping him from going over the edge. He had suffered through so many years of pain and trauma after giving up part of his humanity for evil, his early childhood memories gave him hope. Hope for a brighter future, at the expense of everyone he believed wronged him.
"No..." Po muttered, before letting out a sudden growl, which caught both Chasm and Sky off guard. "I need more serum!" He roared before suddenly laying back on his throne and falling into a deep sleep.
Chasm shook his head before muttering to his sister. "He's going to overdose if we do anything."
Sky shook his head. "Perhaps destroying those Rangers would ease his pain just a bit."
"Po can squash the Rangers in a second, but at this rate, he'll destroy himself in the process."
Sky nodded her head. "True, we need a battle plan."
"Where do we start?" Chasm asked.
Sky shrugged her shoulders. Little did they know, Buck was watching them from underneath the shadows on the exteriors of the lair, sneering quietly. Success was in his mind, and it was in the form of domination of both Earth and Kartae.
Maya was humming to herself as she drove up to the Nakamura residence known as Martial Gardens. She parked her car by the Minka. She liked the area. It was peaceful and quiet. However, her chirpy mood disappeared as she found Sensei Uni standing on the front porch near the garden, looking rather unpleased. Ellie stood next to him, looking at Maya with a nervous expression etched on her face. Maya gulped as she pulled her keys from the ignition and stepped out of the car.
Uni slammed his cane to the ground authoritatively. "Maya Garcia, step forward this instant."
Maya hesitantly complied, taking a few steps forward until she was no more than 5 feet away from where Uni was standing.
Uni glanced over at his daughter and nodded. Ellie pulled out her tablet and played and video, tilting the device so that Maya could see the screen.
Teenage Girl captured footage of physical combat involving the top trending superheroes known as the Power Rangers. People are starting to question the absence of the 5th Ranger, who just so happens to be the Yellow superhero. Maya Garcia joins us today.
"Can you please explain this?" Uni demanded, glaring at Maya.
Maya stayed quiet, shrugging her shoulders.
"That's not an acceptable answer, Miss Garcia."
Ellie turned her tablet off and spoke. "Maya, why would you do this? How could you expose your friends like that?"
Maya smacked her lips. "What's the big deal? It's not like the public KNOWS the Rangers' secret identities!" She exclaimed.
"But this could be compromising!" Uni added. "We don't need more attention than we are already-"
Uni was cut off as he noticed the team's leader approaching Maya from behind. Maya noticed Uni's sudden change in his glance and turned around to find Max walking up to her, looking furious.
"What the hell was that last night?" He barked, his face becoming just as red as his hair.
Maya tried to speak up. "Max, I can explain."
Max laughed lightly. "You don't have to. We saw that damn report! We know the only reason you weren't there to help us out was that you were on the sidelines, recording the entire show!"
Maya rolled her eyes. "Don't make such a big deal-"
Max shook his head, holding his to Maya's face to cut her off. "No, no, no! Don't you DARE make this whole thing seem like it's not a big deal! It is! We have our own lives, Maya! We want to keep them sacred and separated from our duties as Power Rangers!" Max went on, pointing a finger at Maya.
"Do you even care about how we feel about this? Do you care that this could increase our chances of having our identities compromised? NO! Because you just HAD to get 15 minutes of fame, right?"
"After everything we have done for you! Everything that I ALONE have done for you! The nights I have spent sleeping next to you after your father died because all you could do was cry. The night I consoled you when you lost your dog, telling you that he would be found!" Max's voice fluctuated but he kept his furious gaze on Maya.
"You-you," Max was losing his voice, but simply cleared his throat as he continued. "All you ever wanted was attention, is that it? You just needed someone to just say 'good job' or 'nice try', is that it? You think you have it bad. My identity is already compromised, because now I have to switch between DJ and Uni's houses because I can't be with my parents! But do you even notice or care? NO!" He roared.
Maya felt like a dagger was piercing throughout at the sight of Max. He sounded so broken, and who could blame him? His duty as a Ranger was starting to wear down on him, combined with the fact that he can't see his parents when he wants to anymore. Max had no reason to be anything else besides being the Red Ranger, and Maya just smeared that identity for the town to see, all just for validation.
"Okay, enough, Max!" Uni order, stepping in between the two teens.
Max merely glowered before speaking disdainfully before walking off. Uni, Ellie, and Maya all watched as Max glanced over at the Yellow Ranger and said in spite.
"We may be partners in crime-fighting, but that is where I draw the line. I hope your 15 minutes of fame were worth it because this friendship is over!" And with that, he turned and stormed off down the hill, pulling out his phone so he could call a taxi to transport him back to DJ's house.
Maya slowly bowed her head. She felt truly ashamed of what she had done. She was merely blinded by the idea of fame and stardom that she threw her friends under the bus to do so.
A core of her father's final words before his last tour played in Maya's mind. Having a family is a right, but having friends is a privilege that should never be taken for granted, mija.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Uni looking at her with a softened expression. "You need to make things right, Maya. No amount of fame, stardom, or even money is worth destroying your relationships."
Her sensei was right. She hated to admit that she was wrong, but she was. Maya knew she had to make it up to Max, especially since their team's dynamic is the sole key to stopping Po and his henchmen once and for all.
She just needed to find the right time to talk to Max. She hoped her other friends weren't as peeved at her as the Red Ranger was.
Then a ping was heard from Ellie's tablet. She looked at Maya and spoke cautiously. "Um, I know you probably feel like crap. but there is a monster attack."
Maya just sighed sadly before morphing. "Call into Combat!"
Screams of terror echoed throughout the town's only park as Chamoguin fired lasers at the terrified parents trying to run off with their crying children.
He growled as his arms, now transformed into razor-sharp flippers, slashed through barriers such as trees and playground equipment, adding intensity to the citizens' horror.
Just as the civilians managed to break through toward the parking lot, the Blue, Green, and White Rangers all appeared with their weapons ready.
"Hey, lizard-breath!" DJ called out. "I'd quit now if I were you!"
Chamoguin let out a deafening cackle. "You believe you stand a chance against my capabilities, Rangers! Watch my clean sweep and take notes, you brats!"
With that, Chamoguin's cloak was activated, rendering him invisible. His laugh traveled the entire landscape like a shallow echo.
The Rangers gasped and formed a circle with their backs against one another, preparing for the monster's attack. "Prepare for an ambush!" Donnie exclaimed.
Just then, a voice was heard. "Guys!" The three Rangers looked over to see the Red Ranger sprinting toward them from the park's main entrance.
"Max, look out!" Bonnie cried. However, 'Max' luckily made it to the three without any ambush.
"You guys alright?" He asked, trying his best to sound concerned.
"Yeah, we're fine," DJ said.
"Good." 'Max' then struck DJ down with his blade, catching the Blue Ranger and the twins all off-guard.
"Max, what are you doing?!" Donnie yelled. 'Max' then let out a familiar cackle but struck both Donnie and Bonnie with his blade. Green mists then swirled around him like a tornado, transforming him back to his normal being, revealing 'Max' to just be Chamoguin in disguise
DJ managed to stumble back onto his feet before charging at the monster. "You little-" He was cut off as Chamoguin immediately cloaked himself again.
"Where are you?!' DJ hollered, swinging his blade violently in multiple directions. Chamoguin then uncloaked himself as he stood at the far right edge of the park.
"Uh, uh, uh," he spoke, wagging his finger jokingly. "Karadracs!" He called out. On cue, about 10-plus foot-mobiles began charging at the Rangers in multiple directions. Donnie, Bonnie, and DJ separated from one another as they fought the Karadracs with all their might, barely managing to take on all of them before a familiar voice was heard.
"Hey, guys!" Maya, already morphed, charged at Chamoguin, who merely skidded to the side to dodge her boot from behind.
Chamoguin hissed as swung his left flipper downward, but was blocked by Maya's blade. Chamoguin then pushed his weight onto Maya, who grunted as she tried to push back against him with one hand at each end of her weapon, but he was too strong.
"Surprised to see you here, Yellow Ranger." He teased.
Maya let out a roar. "What makes you think I'll leave my friends in the dust?"
"Because that's what you did yesterday!" Chamoguin fired back. "Your friends being manhandled by yours truly, and you didn't even have the decency to stand by them when they needed you. I hope your 15 minutes of fame was worth it!"
Maya's eyes widened. "How did you-"
Chamoguin laughed evilly before green mists swirled around him. Maya gasped as the monster changed his molecular construct into what resembled that of Brett Peterson. "Who do you think you spoke to yesterday?" He asked hysterically before changing back into his original self.
Maya couldn't believe it. She took the advice to sell her friends out by a monster!
Chamoguin used his right foot and laid a huge blow to Maya's chest. Maya fell flat on the ground just as Chamoguin stood over her, raising his razor-sharp left flipper. "Say goodbye, Yellow Ranger!"
"NO!" DJ yelled as he was held back by several foot soldiers.
Maya shut her eyes, preparing herself for her demise.
To be continued...